The Cystalline Flower
by Lady Zahara
Summary: A few years later Zim is running from Dib once again. But when a tangle with some interesting humans suddenly makes Zim popular things get crazy. Especially since Zim doesn't want all the attention. Mild Zadr
1. Prolouge

**AN: This is the prologue of my story, which is written in a completely different style from the rest of the story. First chapter containing dead fish and all. This is short because its a prologue. Reviews are appreciated. **

The blood red violet, once the envy of every city-state of Greece. All accept the one who harbored it. What did Sparta care if it held a beautiful flower. Would a flower conquer Greece, would it forge new weapons or armor? No, of course not. A flower is not but a flower and to a civilization obsessed with war, the blood red violet was useless. Thus was the death of the precious flower, never a flower of such beauty would ever be seen again, at least not on Earth.

Far off in the distant galaxies on a planet who's inhabitants only wished for war, grows a delicate flower of pure crystal. With wine colored petals that bleed into violet at the center. A lovely flower of Irk known as the Zim. Is it any wonder that the Irkens treat an invader who shares it's name the same way. Put the flower out of sight, if it dies it dies, if it grows it grows. But neither death nor growth will come only opening into precious blossoms. Crystalline


	2. Too Easy

**AN: See what I mean about the prologue. Reviews are appreciated. I don't own Invader Zim.**

"Zim! Get back here!" the Dib screamed. Zim had just attacked Dib by sticking a dead fish in his backpack. A petty attempt yes, but the invader had decided to sneak it in there on a whim when his robot assistant had brought the hideous thing home. But this not so ingenious plan had succeeded, Dib was angry… very angry. It had been a few years since the invader had landed bent on enslaving humanity. Each plan had been more and more off beat involving increasingly complicated machinery. The invader for some reason avoided an outright rampaging of the planet with an organic sweep beam. Zim was no longer able to fit into the standard Irken uniform for unknown reasons.

Now Zim was running, from Dib, for putting a dead fish in his backpack. Talk about class. Today was not the day to be on the run. Zim was unarmored (but in human clothes) and needed to fix that as soon as possible. As zim dashed through the halls there was the door with a triangle person on it. The one door Dib could not enter, it was hiding time. Into the girls' bathroom it was. As soon as the door closed behind the alien eight sets of eyes looked at the new comer. A chorus of giggles vibrated around the room.

"See girls." The leader chided. "I told you I was right." She turned her attention to Zim. "Now we can't have you skulking around the school looking like that." The pack advanced, brushes and colored goo in hand.

"No!" Zim screamed "What are you doing! GET OFF OF ME YOU INFERNAL WORM BEASTS!"

That sounded like Zim. Dib thought, he snuck to one side of the door. The minute Zim burst out the door he would have him.

Zim eventually escaped practically falling out the door scrambling to stand. Had this been any other tangle with humans Dib's chase would have continued. Unfortunately Zim had run into girls… the ones you see at the mall decked out in 50 layers of makeup and hair products. Zim was now standing in front of Dib attempting to regain dignity while at the same time wearing magenta makeup and curled hair.

"Bwahahaha!" Dib was in hysterics. How could he not. His enemy was in makeup.

"What?" Zim barked "What's so funny Dib-worm?"

"You look like a girl" he gasped. Almost as if on cue ten other boys appeared.

"Dib! How could you pick on a girl like that." Said one. Were they idiots? This was Zim. And when no objection to the comment came further confusion ensued. What the heck was going on?

"You… but your… that can't be… you never said-" dib scrambled as Zim cut him off, for fear the boys babbles would never cease.

"Yes I am a female but I hardly see how that effects my mission." How many earth creatures would surface? There must have been hundreds by now.

"This guy bothering you Zim?" said random dude. Could it be? She had heard it before and merely dismissed it. On this planet was it socially unacceptable to taunt women? It was worth a shot. Now how did Gir do it?

"He-he's being mean to me!" Zim wailed (as best as she could) pointing an accusing finger at Dib. "I tried to get him to go away, but he won't leave me alone!" All the males turned angrily towards the deeply confused Dib. It was too perfect. Too easy. Zim finely was rid of the Dib and free to take over the world. Zim walked away her sniffles turning into laughter. It was time for an evil plan.


	3. Crazy vs Common Sense

**AN: I don't own Invader Zim**

Zim had come home in a good mood that day and was not about to have the malfunctioning SIR unit ruin her day. She sent him to the store for cotton candy and uncarbonated soda. Unfortunately expecting the robot to know where the store was, was too much to ask. He wandered around until he found an alley that was playing loud music. (Ke$ha – take it off) A little girl with platinum hair and a light blue Lolita dress was dancing on a dumpster apparently the source of the noise.

"What you jumping like a wallaby for?" Gir asked. The music stopped playing as the girl turned around.

"You noticed me?" she responded with a metallic voice. Much staring was going on as Gir attempted to digest what she just said. A blue beam of light emitted from the girl's mouth and scanned Gir up and down.

"Agggh! Licking germs!" Gir screamed running away from the alley.

The next few days were very peaceful for Zim. Any time Dib came near five other boys came to her aid. But of course nothing good can last forever. Things started changing on Wednesday when Zim was getting her books out of her locker.

"Hey Zim." Random male greeted.

"Umm… Hi?" replied a confused Zim. Why were they talking to her? Nobody other than Dib talked to her.

"Do you want help carrying your books?" asked another. When sis all these guys come around.

"No, I'm fine."

"You got shot down dude!" said one, all the other guys laughed. "Of course she wants me to carry them for her."

"No I can carry my own books to class worm-beasts." This was very strange. Their actions were peculiar. She was barraged with people wanting ot help her and walk her places. "All of you cease or feel the wrath of ZIM!" she shouted.

"I think I'd like that." A male said in a seductive voice. She had to leave. Running as fast as she could she arrived to each class early. During lunch she had to hide in to avoid being in a mob of dumb. Unfortunately her main hiding place was the garbage incinerator… not too pleasant.

She sat in her seat in Mrs. Mala's class as the teacher explained Friday. "We'll be going to the zoo. And I don't want to hear about you sticking your hand in the tiger's cage or jumping off a bridge. This is your fun day so don't mess it up for me… I mean you." Where did they find these teaching drones? They had been getting worse by the day. But Zim's main problem was not with the teacher. It was with the males who were fixated on making her life easier. As long as they were around conducting evil plans was a no go, and worse made it difficult to taunt Dib who stopped acting like Dib after the humans started associating themselves with her. After class she lost the heard of boys an stared out to Dib's house to confront him on the matter.

"Dib-stink." Zim stated as Dib opened the door. Was that Zim? Why was the feeling of role reversal washing over him?

"What do you want Zim? If it's gloating I have better things to do with my time then watch you fluff your ego."

"How dare you accuse Zim of fluffing toaster waffles!" I came here to interrogate you on your passiveness."

"So you are her to fluff-"

"I fluff nothing! We are not talking about fluffing we're talking about you. Why have you stopped stopping my plans?"

"What do you mean? Your surrounded by a foot ball team! If I breath wrong they'll pound me into oblivion!"

"So… the meat sacks threaten your existence?"

"No, and if you ever though I'd stop just cause you wanted me to then your wrong. I stopped because I wanted to. You had nothing to do with my decision. "

"That right."

"Yes you can have all the fun you want with your… your slave boys. I'll be on the sidelines nice and happy… and safe."

"Your right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right."

"You should just leeeave me alone to rule over the planet. It's not like anyone's going to stop me. It's just too dangerous to try. You shouldn't even bother." Zim turned and took three steps away before cocking her head to the left saying. "You are crazy after all."


	4. The Deal

**AN: I do not own Invader Zim**

'You're crazy' how many times had he heard these words? Sure it was annoying to be constantly ridiculed, but all great minds had. He'd only be famous once he died. But somehow the alien's words stuck to him like cement until the next day in class. Why did Zim call him crazy. She of all people knew how sane he was. She was the reason that he had to be right. She was the proof. And she had the nerve to say he was crazy!

"WHY IS THIS POSSING ME OFF SO MUCH!" He yelled, in the middle of class no less. In another class room he was still heard clearly by Zim. Why was he yelling now? Despite Zim's instigation Dib still did not go near her. And as much as Zim didn't want to admit it this made her angry. She still had to run from a mob of idiotic males and Dib was too busy muttering darkly to himself to stop her plans. (Though she wasn't planning at the moment)

Finally the field trip came and all the boys wanted to walk her around. Not going to happen. Zim ran and hid behind the first person she saw… Dib.

"Hide me Dib-stink!" Zim demanded. The thundering crowd of people went past Dib and on to where ever they thought Zim went.

"… Get off of me!" Dib tried to shrug off the paranoid alien from his back. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with your friends? They won't leave me alone."

"That makes you popular, most people want to be."

"Well I'm not most people! I need to find a cure to this popular dieses. Then I can get everything back to the way it should be. Aide me worm-breath."

"I'm not going to-"

"Tell me or I'll tell Gaz that you broke her game slave and believe me that piece of pathetic technology would snap like a twig."

"Fine! But I don't think your going to like it."

"I'll do anything!"

"The only way I know to be unpopular… is to hang out with me."

"Eh? What was that?" Asked a confused Zim. Dib sighed.

"People who are friendly towards me immediately become unpopular."

"So that means I have to talk to you without trying to hurt you?" Dib nodded.

"And I have to pretend I enjoy your company."

"I can deal with hanging around you… Can you be in my glorious presence without trying to destroy me?"

"Maybe… But I'm doing you a favor. What do I get out of all this?"Dib asked. Zim cringed; it would take all her will power to say what she was going to say.

"If you help me I'll not destroy the Earth for a month after this popular thing is over with. And And I won't try to when we act like we're… friends." It was a huge offer for Zim, so was getting the pack of beasts away from her. Dib on the other hand still didn't see much gain from the experience. But what he had to lose was enough to push the bargain.

"Alright… I'll help you this once."

"Help! Zim does not need help! I am Zim! I only require your assistance for a short while."

"And that's why your hid in the garbage incinerator."

"… never speak of that again."

"It was pretty funny-"

"I SAID NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN!" Dib held in a snicker. The deal was that they couldn't hurt each other. She never said anything about teasing.


	5. Normal is a Relative Term

**AN: Lots of dialogue. I don't own Invader Zim.**

Lunch came around and as the bickering pair sat down Torque came up.

"Hey Zim, is this shrimp bothering you?" Zim looked as though she was going to hit the boy but instead replied calmly.

"No, the Dib-human does not bother me." Why did she have to say that? The boy's very existence peeved the invader. After Torque left she turned towards Dib and said. "This better work."

"Hey!" he replied "I don't like it either but it's going to take some time."

"How much time?" Zim asked with a borderline pout.

"Not much I hope." Dib shook his head. People who were popular could get away with a lot of stuff. It might take weeks to convince them someone enjoyed his company. But Zim? It could take months! Either way Dib would have to exercise his patience.

Zim was a fast eater, so while Dib munched on his food Zim pulled out her math homework.

"Working on the art of math?" Dib asked.

"What? Math isn't an art."

"Sure it is."

"Math is calculations, art is emotional expression." If there was one thing  
Zim knew, it was math.

"There's emotional expression in math." Before it was just a comment, now Dib was just messing around.

"No there isn't." Zim pointed to a box by the trash can. "Just like that box is not art. It has no emotion put into it!" Why was Dib saying such illogical things? Was he actually insane? Dib tried his best not to laugh.

"Of course that box has emotion in it. The inventor of the box worked long and hard to make-"

"I'm not talking about the proto type!" Dib was laughing by now. How can one human be so frustrating? "I'm taking about that box right there! The machine that made it had no emotion making that specific box!" That should convince him.

"O.K. Your right." A victory! "But math is still an art." Why is he so stubborn! Only now did it occur to Zim that Dib wasn't being serious, considering how hard he was laughing now.

"You are so exasperating." Zim sighed. Dib continued laughing as the two left the lunch table. They were so preoccupied they didn't notice the blue beam that scanned Dib from the bushes.

The small robot girl blinked. "I found him…" She trailed off as she noticed a butterfly. "Pretty!" She began to follow it.

"Chinese food shouldn't be all you can eat." Dib commented.

"What?" Zim didn't realize Dib could change topics so quickly. "Why?"

"You go from 'I can't believe I ate that much chow mien' to 'hey they brought out egg rolls'. There's no in-between." Dib-thing was talking about human stuff. This would be the perfect chance to get information on the humans. "Sorry about that, it was pretty random."

"No, it's fine." Think Zim! What can you get out of the Dib monkey! Notes and paper air planes flew through the air as they chose a seat on the bus. Dib seemed unamused when one had something about him being crazy in it.

"Idiots, every last one of them." That drew Zim's attention.

"Who?"

"Them." He gestured to their classmates. "They don't even try to do anything with their lives. They are completely content to bask in their own stupidity." Zim stared at Dib. If this was how he felt about the humans, why was he protecting them? "Torque will probably be a fry-cook the rest of his life."

"No promotion?" Zim tried to defend any fry-cook, due to being one on foodcourtia.

Nah, he doesn't even know what the word means." They both laughed.

"I still way you humans are dumb."

"Not all humans are dumb Zim. Many are, but I never deigned that. I just said that your race wasn't superior."

"Any Irken with goo in his belly is better than that!" Zim used Torque as a reference.

"That doesn't say much Zim."

"True." The Dib had a point.

"But I'm sure your civilization lacks in something that my society has flourished in."

"LIES! We have gone beyond your meats' capabilities in technology! We conquered more planets, have better weapons, stronger armies! Your planet isn't even unified!" Zim sat smugly.

"What about your culture?" Zim's face fell a bit.

"What do you mean? If your-"

"I mean art, music, literature, monuments, and clothes."

"Never cut me off Dib worm, NEVER! And what are you talking about? I'm wearing clothes! And you don't even know what art is."

"By clothes I mean variety. And it doesn't matter whether I know what art is, do you have it?"

"Well regularly I wear standard invader attire. We have some art pieces." Why did it matter? Or variety of clothing? That didn't conquer the galaxy.

"What about music?"

"What about it"

"Do you have it?" Zim's face froze. 'Music' was an Earth term for… some kind of sound right? He didn't want to seem like an idiot.

"What other kinds of food shouldn't be all you can eat?" Brilliant change of subject!

"You… don't know what I'm talking about, do you?" busted.

"Zim knows! I'm just more interested in food."

"It's expression through sound."

"Food?"

"No, music. Same with literature only it's written words instead of sound."

"Zim knows what books are! I'm not mentally deficient like some humans!" It was interesting to Dib how the Irkens' society held similarities to some parts of Ancient Greece. Maybe hanging out with Zim would be good research on the Irkens' cultural norms.


	6. Growing Changes

Zim hopped off the bus as their teacher told them to go home for the day. Zim went to go to her base when she was stopped by Zita.

"Have you gone mental?"Zim stared at Zita, trying to think of what Zita was talking about. After a few minutes of silence Zita elaborated.

"Why were you talking with Dib at the Zoo. He's insane and as far as I could tell you hated him too." The gears in Zim's head clicked so that is what she was talking about. Ahile the plan put both parties in almost physical pain to be friendly to each other, they were each in it for their own gain. The benefits were blindingly obvious, but to anyone on the outside it was just plain weird. Now Zim had to choose her words carefully, saying the wrong thing could ruin the plan.

"While I've had issues with Dib-smell in the past, I have never said that I hate him." This was true, Zim did not hate dib. Loath and despise however, that was entirely different. Zita gave Zim an inquisitive stare before accepting the answer and walking off. Zim went home to bask in her own glory. Today she had enslaved the Dib (not really), fooled the humans, and now was going to see how her new uniform was coming along.

"Computer, show Zim's AMAZING new uniform."

"I couldn't make one." The computer replied nonchalantly.

"Who does the what now?" Zim asked slightly annoyed.

"What I mean is that I altered your old one so that it will fit better."Zim seemed put at ease by this. "I have also started on some other cloths; they should let you blend in with the humans better and… I got you more efficient armor." That made Zim happy. Efficiency was good, extra efficiency was even better. She went to her armor was. The black fabric seemed weak but was capable of repelling beams, lasers, projectile weapons, was light weight and machine washable. "… would you like to see the rest of the uniform?"

Zim nodded, the machine presented her new garments. Over the years of being on Earth the uniform had shrunk! It had to be some kind of atmospheric issue. Zim glanced down at the Earth attire she had on. The long kaki pant legs were stuffed in knee high boots and a baggy cameo t-shirt hung loosely on her shoulders. For the zoo she and stuffed her curls in a plain, kaki captain's hat. Just because her uniform was being fixed, didn't mean she had to lose the appearance of her military status or lack thereof). The new uniform was different than before, the ink tunic had been docked to just above the stomach, the rest of the fabric went to a single long sleeve separate from the top of the uniform. Only the left leather glove was untouched was the other had been used to make Zim's boots long enough to cover her legs.

"Yes." Zim said thoughtfully. "This will do nicely." The next day instead of having their usual epic battle Zim went to… talk with Dib. "Hey." Dib jumped turning around. He wasn't used to people talking to him.

"Zim… What happened to your uniform?" Zim looked at her clothes then striated with pride.

"I shrank so I fixed it!"

"It didn't shrink you just got taller."

"… What was that?"

"I said you got taller, by about six or seven inches probably."

"Say it again!"

"You got taller?"

"LOUDER!"

"You got taller!" Dib watched as Zim went from pleased to ecstatically hugging him.

"Yay!" Being taller was a good thing; it meant more respect and more stuff.

"Aw, how cute." Gaz stated blandly as she walked by them. Dib gently pried Zim off, others giggled.

"Forget you pig-smellies, I'm happy!" Zim skipped off into the school building. Dib however stared in a daze. What just happened? Why has Zim's mood swing drastically just now? Dib's heart was still beating rapidly. In all of his years Zim had never done anything as scary as being genuinely happy. Zim's good mood continued out most of the day. Even sitting at lunch with Dib didn't seem so bad. She was taller, everything seemed better when you were taller. Dib seemed distracted at lunch, his mind was not where he was.

"-humans, cooking themselves on the beach! One of them was orange! That isn't even in the human spectrum of color!"

"hmm…" Dib mumbled, not really paying attention. Zim growled, how dare he ignore Zim!

"What's wrong?"

"Hunh?"

"Something is more interesting than Zim… what is it?"

"A weird thing happened this morning." Dib muttered mindlessly.

"What?" Zim was perplexed. What was he talking about? Dib looked up shocked. Had he just said that? He had to come up with something fast.

"I… uhh… saw a guy."

"Wow. How strange." Zim said sarcastically.

"You didn't let me finish. He was dancing… In the middle of the road."

"Really?"

"Yah he was doing this chicken like dance while listening to his mp3 player."

"Did he look stupid?"

"Very, he wasn't even wearing any shoes either. Only socks, just dancing away." Hopefully that would satisfy Zim. It's not like he could say your freaking me out right now. No that would make it worse.

"You humans' stupidity never ceases to amaze me." Yes , he made it through. But for how long? His mind kept slipping to Zim hugging him. Why did she do that? The mind boggles. Zim threw her food into the trash as the cafeteria buzzed. The world was up-side-down for the rest of the students. Zim and Dib were being civil… even friendly? The girls were wondering how this happened while the boys were on a more basic 'cute girl + Dib = dead Dib' thought process. This went on and Zim took Dib's distracted mind as an open invitation to bilk him for information."So…. Exactly how long is and Earth year Dib-thing?"

"365 days." Dib muttered, poking his food.

"And that's… how many hours? Of course I understand if your pathetic human brain-"

"8,760 hours." Zim blinked, that was unexpected. Then again she never did an unbiased test of Dib's intelligence. Her pak processed the information. It seemed impossible, she knew Earth years were longer but not to this extent. An Irken year was 584 hours. This meant for every year on Earth, fifteen years went by on Irk. Sizlor's statement made more sense now (see Fry-cook from outer space). Zim was 223 so on Earth she would be fifteen… Dib-beast was sixteen. Dib was OLDER than Zim! How dare he!

"Dib-thing when is your birthday?"

"What?"

"When is your birthday? Do you have fish for ears?"

"I… uhh… June 13th 1994… Why?" Zim's pak processed the info. Good, the Dib was only five months older than her.

"Just curious."

"O.k. then when's yours?" That took same thought.

"August 9th 1994… happy?" Dib looked at Zim. That was two days from now. If he was to pose as Zim's friend he should get her a present. But what sis you get an Irken invader bent on destroying the world without endangering yourself? Then he remembered something he saw on one of his spy cameras. Yes, that would be perfect.

**AN: I actually saw a guy in the turn lane dancing like a chicken in his socks. Some of the best scenes in my opinion are the ones based on real life. Like the math argument. I was the one pointing at a box. **

**I will be posting colored picutres of all the out fits I picutre Zim wearing in this fic as well as outfits from my up coming comic Russian Roulette over the summer. **

**On a different note I actually did all the calculations for the Irken years. Zim's birthday unfortunately is not as accurate. **  
**... I don't know Dib's either. Help me fans of Zadr! Find out their birthdays! The truth is out there! **


	7. A Gift

**AN: I don't own Invader Zim. **

When Professor Membrane heard that his son was getting a present for his 'friend who was a girl' (Dib was adamant about that specific phrase) a present, he was ecstatic to say the least. Friends meant normality, if this continued his son might want to study… REAL SCIENCE! Well it was a thought. Needless to say Membrane went a little overboard and made Dib pick out something larger than he had in mind. Dib felt a little awkward holding the package. It was… weird in a way he couldn't explain. He knocked on Zim's door. A happy Gir opened the door undisguised.

"Hello box!" He grinned.

"Gir! What are you doing out of- What is the Dib doing here?" Zim asked.

"I'm giving you this. Presents on someone's birthday are customary." Dib answered.

"How do I know it's not a trap?"

"You don't, but take it anyway." Dib gave Zim the bag before leaving. Zim would have protested but a bag was shoved in her arms. Zim put down the bag and went to get a snack.

"Can I open it?" Gir asked from the living room.

"No!"

"Can I open it?"

"No Gir, it's a trap."

"No it's not."

"Gir I told you not to-" Zim rushed in, Gir had only peeked in the bag. Zim lifted the Silver bag and opened the gift. "It's a Squee." Zim said in shock. Squee was a character from the Bob show. Squee was a small four legged yellow rectangle with blue eyes, a bow, and was sickeningly adorable. Zim had only started watching the show because of Gir, but found it oddly entertaining. She had even gone as far as to steal a small Squee toy from a five year old girl a couple of years ago. "It's an expensive Squee, It costs fourty-two Earth monies." Zim stated at the blue cloth eyes.

"You don't like it?" Gir asked with hope.

"No… I've just never been given anything that I didn't have to beg like a smeet for." Zim continued to stare at the toy.

"Can I have it?" Gir implored.

"NO! This is Zim's Squee, ZIM'S! The Dib gave it to me." Zim hugged the doll tightly.

"Then can I have the other Squee?"

"No, that's also Zim's… you can have a pig doll."

"Yay!" Gir ran off to find it. Zim sat down on the couch hugging her plush Squee. The next day Zim adorned 'normal' clothes to further her already brilliant disguise. She wore black go-go boots a black and pink plaid skirt with too many belts and a striped short sleeve shirt that was missing its shoulders. She was off to shool to talk with the horrid Dib in his horrid jacket, did I mention he was horrid. When Dib was Zim all he did was stare.

"What Dib-brain?" Zim asked. No reply. Not again! What was it that made Dib's brain short out? "Hey!" Dib snapped back to reality. Crap, he did that zoning out thing again, he needed to stop doing that! "Why are you changing colors?" Zim asked. Dib grew tenser, which only made his blush worse.

"I'm not!" Dib lied.

"Yes you are, you're doing it right now weirdo."

"I'm not as weird as you, you have green skin!"

"It's a skin condition!" Zim hissed through clenched teeth. The human was being stubborn again.

"And you only have three fingers." Dib spat falling into habit.

"Lawn mower accident when I was four." Zim bantered, this was really frustrating. Dib stared, then calmly stated.

"Your earrings are moving."

"Earrings? I don't wear any-" Zim felt next to her head. Her lekku were sticking out of her wig. "Umm… Yeah, aren't they neat? Motorized earrings, they're all the rage." Zim stuttered. How could this happen? A blue tint crossed her face. She was so embarrassed. Dib on the other hand was taking mental notes on how Zim's antenna were flexible and at the same time seemed to have thin muscle structure that made them move involuntarily. They both walked to the school building.

"Hi buddy!" Keef called behind. Panic became evident on Zim's face as she ran off and dove behind the stairs. She turned and came face to face with Gaz.

"What are you doing?" Gaz asked.

"Hiding from a stalker."

"Which one?"

"…Keef who else?" Zim blinked, confused.

"My stupid brother."

"Dib is not a stalker!" Zim retorted as if she was personally offended. "He's a paranormal investigator."

"Wait. Why is Keef a stalker and Dib's an 'investigator'?"

"It's just… how things are." Gaz gave Zim a long hard stare before the bell rang causing Zim to run to class. Gaz shook her head.

"Crazy chick."

**AN: Ahh the irony... it's delicious. **


	8. I'm Only Gonna' Break Your Heart

Zim waited by Dib's locker hoping that she wouldn't have to explain to him what happened. It would be Dib however, who would have to explain as he limped to his locker broken glasses in hand.

"Dib-thing… what happened? The other males did this to you didn't they?" Zim asked, her worry was suddenly replaced with glee. "Is it because of me?" Dib gave Zim an unamused look.

"No this is normal for me." He opened his locker; a pool of threatening letters fell on the floor. "That is because of you." Zim picked one of the letters up.

"Stop acting smart or I'll beat the stupid out of you." Zim read aloud, Dib turned from the garbage where he was stuffing the unwanted letters to look at Zim.

"Torque." They said in unison, Zim tossed the note into the trash with the others.

"I don't understand," Zim started, "why are they attacking you? I'm the foreigner here after all." Dib sighed

"I don't know either."

"You're a bad liar."

"What? I am an excellent liar- I mean I'm not lying."

"Seriously, why? Did you do something to them that I don't know about?"

"… No, it's just that I'm smarter than them, way smarter than them. I don't see the point in sports or why they glorify senseless violence, and I'm not a pervert. Because of this I am a reject. Once this truce is over I will capture you and everyone will realize they were wrong to make fun of me." Dib grabbed his bag and went to lunch, placing his broken glasses back on his face. Zim however just stood there. Why was Dib telling her all this, why did the humans not value intelligence, but further more why was Dib different? Zim mulled over it solemnly, his words rolling around in her head. 'I am a reject.' 'Everyone will realize they were wrong to make fun of me.' It was all hauntingly familiar. Than that's why her azon, the Irken equivalent to a heart, felt so tight and hurt in a foreign way. She didn't like it, oh what could she do to make it stop!

"Hello!" Zim turned to look down at a platinum haired girl in a black and blue dress. Her arms and legs were covered in black fabric that was covered in zippers. "You know Zahara Zim you should lie less." She stated Zim blinked; Zahara was a title of some kind from ancient times.

"I don't lie unless I have to meat child."

"That's not what I meant; I meant you should lie to yourself less. The sooner you stop the better you'll feel!" She grinned brightly, was this kid related to Keef or something? The happy aura was sickening.

"I don't need to be lecture by a strange child that I don't know. BE GONE WITH YOU!"

"But I… Your back is shiny!" She squealed, and then turned skipping happily. Zim glanced behind her, sure enough the moment the tightness in her chest increased her pak had started flashing. Slightly panicked she ran to the lunch room so Dib wouldn't think something was wrong, because nothing was wrong. Everything was just fine for the invader. Zim went to where Dib was in the lunch room then looked to where Keef was smiling brightly at their table.

"Hey Zim! Watch doing?" He asked; Zim stared in horror.

"The dirt child… he haunts me," Zim whisper to Dib.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to see the new Barbie movie after school!" Zim looked at Dib with pleading eyes as Keef rambled on, Dib nodded fully understanding what he had to do.

"Zim's going with me to the… the Night Realm after school. She's not available." Keef was about to speak but Dib cut him off to finish with, "Ever."

"Maybe I'll see you there." Keef said slightly disheartened, Dib and Zim sighed in relief.

"So… What's the Night Realm?" Zim asked.

"A club up town, a lot of people go there." Dib answered.

"So when will you taking me?"

"I just said that so he would leave us alone!"

"But he'll just keep coming back unless we engrave it in his stupid head that I will busy with you. Besides if I'm seen in public with you then it should speed up the process, no?" Dib hated it when Zim was right. It made her even fuller of herself. She got this slight smirk and would straighten her slender figure.

"Fine," Dib grumbled, "I'll pick you up at six." Victory for Zim! How the taste of victory was sweet. Made her happy, made her feel… fluttery? That was weird, why was she excited to go to some human cesspit with the Dib. Oh well that didn't matter; especially with her pak back to normal… not that anything was wrong with it. All that mattered was that she was getting Dib to do whatever she wanted, without threatening him. The rest of the day was very peaceful, for school that is, but when Zim got home she tore through her room.

"Computer find any information about human club things!" She demanded while tearing through her entire wardrobe.

"Why?" the computer droned.

"Because I want to know what to expect!" Zim shot back.

"And that has nothing to do with you throwing your clothes around."

"Exactly." Zim found some skin tight boots and black leggings. What shirt would go best? She threw more pink garments across the room.

"This is soooo fuzzy!" Gir said holding a pink tank top with feathers along the neckline.

"MINE!" Zim shouted grabbing the shirt and throwing on herself.

"A human club," the computer began, "plays music, has food of some kind, and people."

"Is that all you know?" Zim asked.

"Yes." The computer stated, Zim sighed. Five years on this planet and she still couldn't get any good help. She put long feather eyelashes on as the door bell rang. Zim finished primping and opened the door to see Dib on the porch with a raised eyebrow.

"I see you changed your clothes, but not your earrings." Dib smirked, Zim looked at Dib, and he could be so frustrating at times.

"It just so happens that I like them Moth Man." Zim spat Dib's alias with irritation.

"I'm sure it would be very difficult for you if you didn't Irken" Dib stated knowledgably, how did Zim know his swollen eyeball code name? They walked to the Night Realm. Music pulsed through the floor of the darkly lit room; people seemed to be clinging to every wall. Red and blue lights grazed over the crowd, a smoky scent filled the air.

"O.K. You saw it," Dib said in a hurry, "Now let's go before-"

"Hey guys!" Keef said, "I knew you would be here so I figured three friends are better than two." Dib turned to Zim.

"So what's your brilliant plan Zim?" Dib asked sarcastically.

"Everything should just fall... into… place?" Zim said.

"I knew it! I'm not going to hang around this whack job with you Zim. I can feel my brain cells die just looking at him!" Dib dragged Zim away from the horror that was Keef and to the dance floor. "I have an idea, but you have to trust me or it won't work. No questions or outbursts. All you need to do is play along." Dib took Zim's hand as a new song played (Taio Cruz – Break your Heart) he began to lead Zim around the floor gracefully. Keef had managed to find them dancing, obviously confused. Other dancers made more room for the pair as their basic little waltz transformed into something else.

_If you fall for me, I'm not easy to please._

Zim spun out then came back to her partner in a brief embrace, their movements becoming sharper.

_I will tear you apart, told you from the start, baby from the start._

Everything seemed like a blur to Zim, and yet they somehow maintained a grace that many dancers could only dream of.

_I'm only gonna break, break your break, break your heart._

_I'm only gonna break, break your break, break your heart._

_I'm only gonna break, break your break, break your heart._

As soon as it had started it seemed to end. They separated, breathing deeply. Oh please let that be enough! Keef was nowhere in sight, some people clapped for the two dancers making both extremely self-conscious.

"You… want to go home?" Dib asked awkwardly.

"Y-yah… let's go." The walk home was quiet, as they neared Zim's yard she turned around. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well since I walked you there I figured you'd want me to walk you home." Dib replied.

"That too, but that's not what I mean. You didn't have to help me with Keef at all. And it was nice of you to do stuff that I didn't ask you- " Zim babbled.

"Are you thanking me?" Dib asked in disbelief.

"Something like that. Good night." Zim went into her house, feeling strange. Not in a good or bad way just weird and her pak was flashing again. How can she concern herself with something that did no harm? She was just so amazing that she had a special flashy pak. No doubt about it, there was no way she was a defective. That didn't explain why her azon was beating so fast. She slipped into her bed and let herself fall into a pleasant slumber. While she slept her communicator extended slamming into the wall repeatedly, her spider legs emerged only to fall limp and useless on the floor. One of her weapons was ejected falling into the pile of rejected clothes; like every night everything would go back to normal before she woke. Outside Dib walked in the cold, crisp air. Unaware that there was a set of robot eyes was watching his every move.

"It's been far too long Dib. Oh how my lady would be pleased. I'm sorry that it took this long to find him my lady." The girl whispered to no one in particular. A single, slick tear fell from her glass eyes. Her mood then suddenly changed, "Time to be nice and fluffy."


	9. A Stalker Revealed

**AN: I do not own Invader Zim.**

The next day Zim was acting strangely, for Zim that is. Not that she hadn't been acting stranger for the past week or so, but now, now it was really bad. She was happy… a lot and she seemed to be distracted from the real world. Or she would just start being flustered for no apparent reason, her behavior was simply too bizarre. She bumped into people or laughed without reason, or would start humming. All of the above deeply confused Dib and as he walked down the hall he overheard some other girls talking about the same thing.

"I think Zim's sick." A blond said.

"No, I saw her when she was sick. She looked so pissed off, it was freakin' hilarious." said the red head.

"Maybe she's gone mental hanging around that Dib kid. I heard that crazy is contagious." said one who was wearing too many barrettes in her hair.

"That's stupid, crazy is not a dieses just like- Oh!" the blond exclaimed.

"Oh what, what is it?" asked the red head.

"It is what it is. She has it. You know it." the blond replied.

"How could I have not known? It's like soooooo obvious." said barrette girl.

"Yeah and she's got it…bad." The red head sighed. If Dib wasn't confused before, he certainly was now.

"Got what?" Dib asked, and now his cover was blown, the girls stared and him. "You said Zim caught something, that does she have?" Suddenly the girls busted into a fit of giggles. "What?" More giggling, it was obvious Dib was getting nowhere with these girls. All they were doing was laughing at him. He would ask Zim, but something told him she didn't quite know herself, or wouldn't tell him. Both wouldn't answer his question of what was going on. Why did everything in his life have to be harder than it needed to be? Still even in all this confusion he still kept his promise when lunch came around.

"I'm going to get a call from my tallest soon!" Zim chirped.

"Really?" Dib asked Maybe this was the cause, there was always hope.

"Yah, I'm getting my mission evaluated today. They'll call, tell me I'm amazing, and give me some more supplies!"

"What kind of supplies?" If Zim was breaking the truce, than she was going to regret it for the rest of her life.

"Oh cleansing chalk, snacks, batteries, a uniform that fits, stuff like that."

"That's good, for a second I thought you were breaking the truce." Zim snapped up at the comment, that was right, the only reason Dib was helping her was because she made him. Once the truce was over they'd be back to fighting. It made sense, after all didn't they promise each other that they would never stop fighting. There was a slight pain in her azon. Why did that keep happening? It was getting really annoying being in pain at something so trivial. At the end of the day they said their goodbyes and Dib went home. When he got however there was a surprise waiting for him in the middle of the room. A little girl with platinum curls and a frilly sky blue dress, her eyes were screens with matching blue light projected on the glass.

"Welcome back." She greeted, Dib closed the door and opened it again. Yep, she was still there.

"Who are you? Why are you in my room?"

"I am the third breed _artificially intelligent android_ unit, you may call me Aia. I have been in your mother's family for years. I am afraid that since Lady Amalthia passed it has taken me awhile to locate you. Since you are the eldest child you are now my new master. I feel it is also my obligation to inform you some of my personality files have corrupted over time." the robot explained coolly, Dib stared at her for a moment.

"I have a robot!" Dib asked ecstatically, "I never knew that mom- you're really- will you do anything I say?"

"Within reason."

"There is an alien, Zim, she's and Irken and she will be having a mission evaluation today. If at all possible could you hack into the system so I… we can also hear the message." Oh how old habits die hard.

"I can try, but where is the feed, what will I use?"

"Here's the IP address to her main computer and my laptop!"

"Why are you preventing the Irken's mission again?"

"… to protect my home." Dib answered after much thought, "Come on, and let's see this mission evaluation."


	10. Mission Evaluated

**AN: Thanks for reading this story and reviewing. This chapter turned out to be longer than I originaly wrote it I hope you guys don't mind. I don't own Invader Zim. No one on this cite does to my knowledge. Goth-stompers forever!**

Zim stood in front of the monitor once again in her altered uniform. She was anxious to say the least and still a little depressed from the conversation she had with Dib earlier, her awesomeness making her pak dimly flash. The tension was thicker than Afreet goo as the screen flickered on, the tallest Red and Purple appeared to be uneasy about something. They glanced at each other briefly before turning towards Zim.

"Greetings my tallest," Zim said with a forced smile, "I am ready for my evaluation." Purple cringed while Red sighed.

"Zim listen… you aren't going to be evaluated." Red attempted, Zim's smile faded.

"I figured that you still didn't take me seriously, even though I am taller now."

"It's not your height Zim," Red interjected, "you destroy everything you touch."

Zim closed her eyes 'please don't hate me.' She thought, though the thought was barely a whisper.

"You killed two of our previous leaders by accident." Purple added, Zim's pain began to build.

'Please don't hate me.' She thought to herself louder.

"You caused various blackouts," Red elaborated, "you're the worst invader in history!"

'Please don't hate me!' She inwardly begged, her pak flashing brightly, "But my tallest," Zim called, "I tried harder than any invader ever did. I never wanted to make people upset or inconvenience them! Even though I was banished to this planet I just-"

"You just what? Kept bugging us for no reason!" Purple fumed.

'PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!' Zim's mind raced searching for a response,"No I-" Zim started.

"You're useless Zim." Red ended bluntly, the transmission had stopped. Zim's pak started to act of its own accord as she ran out of the house, tears threatening to stream down her face. Her pride had taken a heavy blow, but not nearly as much as her heart. The Irken Empire hated her, and now they had one. They had finally torn down the Almighty Zim's elaborate mask. How many years had she tried to get them to not hate her? Since smeethood practically, all the while pretending that they were jealous, that they weren't insulting her. After all if they thought she didn't care then surely they would get tired of laughing at her.

Dib stared at the blank screen in disbelief; he had heard Zim's voice but didn't see anything except the tallest. Zim's mission had been a fake, this whole time she was living in a delusion. It was a hard pill to swallow; he continued to stare in a dazed state. Nothing was making sense anymore. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Master Dib? Are you going to the store?" Aia asked, her malfunction becoming present.

"I just need to step outside." Dib mumbled, completely missing Aia's bizarre question. EH walked down the street aimlessly, only to run into Gir.

"Big-thing!" Gir cried with relief, "My master went to the dead town and was leaking! There was so much leaking that she might become a raisin if she don't stop. Please help 'm! I don't want a raisiny master!" Gir pleaded rolling on the sidewalk. Dib ran to the abandoned part of town, which is what he assumed Gir was going on about. He looked around for Zim, then running to a cul-de-sac that was making quite a racket. In the cul-de-sac was Zim, her pak sprouting limbs and tools without her consent. She sobbed in Irken slamming her back into the walls of buildings repetedly trying vainly to get her pak back under her control. It was all futile in her state though, she could practically feel the gears grinding away from her body. Dib stared at Zim's display in shock; she fell to her knees in the center, tears falling freely from her ruby eyes.

"I AM NOT USELESS!" She wailed, the damage that she had caused to her pak was taking its toll. She took hard breathes, her consciousness fading in and out. Her body finally gave in to the ripples of exhaustion that slowly wrapped around her mind, finally collapsing to the rough ground. The last thing she saw was a pair of goth-stompers making their way toward her.

Dib gazed at Zim's unconscious body laying limp on the ground. Her face glistening wet with tears as ebony curls fell gracefully around her face. Zim's lekku were relaxed, unmoving. Her jade skin was growing pale while her pak let out periodical surges of energy that dance along the seemingly empty frame. Dib stared down with a god like view of what was below him. The one he had believed was his enemy lay broken and defenseless on the pavement. He could have done nothing and let Zim die, but if she wasn't ordered to destroy the Earth, then maybe she didn't have to. Dib sighed, his decision made and he gently lifted Zim from the ground.

"Come on Zim," he chided, "let's see what we can do."


	11. Saved

Dib somehow had managed to sneak the injured alien into his room, which he partly racked up to no one really caring what he was doing. His room was a little bigger now, though you wouldn't guess it from all the equipment inside. The walls were covered with weapons he once used to fight Zim, deciding that the walls were better storage than in boxes somewhere. In his closet was a computer, a desk, and piles of research he had gathered over the years. Zim lay on her stomach in Dibs bed while he went to get tools.

He had come to the conclusions that the PAKs (Portable Accessible Kits) were more like ERLs (Evil Robot Leaches) and that given the proper measures could be removed. The empire had designed them so that a fast acting poison would be injected to the 'host' when removed that would cause death within ten minutes. Of course when reunited with the body it would issue a cure. Now all Dib had to do was remove the Pak in such a way that would not activate the poison.

He gently took opened the shell of the Pak and started to work taking out each damaged spider leg, broken weapon, and snapped wire. He removed them one at a time with precession and delicacy. Aia watched as each part took ten minutes to remove. He pulled out cracked chips and goo covered devises, working with the machine like an artist.

Dib stared down at the last part, Zim's life support devise. He took a deep breath; it was cracked in multiple places spewing pink sparks. One wrong move and the poison would be injected into her system and loose Zim forever. Tenderly he disconnected each wire keeping all sparks from hitting Zim's skin. The machine was hotter than blue coal, Dibs hands trembled ad he lifted the shell of the Pak off of Zim's bruised back. Had he done it? In about ten minutes he would find out, the tension would drive a sane man mad. He went to the other side of his room to do research; it always had helped him calm down before. Furthermore he needed something to distract him from the current situation.

Zim blinked groggily, where was she? Her limbs felt week, but at least the surface she was laying on was soft. It felt like a weight had been lifted of her shoulders, a warm weight. She sat up as best she could, her Pak! How long was she out? Where was it? Why wasn't the time clock on? Questions raced around her mind, she was her Pak pieces organized neatly on a metal tray, and gasped when she saw many of the vital parts were broken. She looked around, the room was navy blue, the bed had black sheets and there was someone at a computer.

Dib turned to see Zim sort of sitting up. Zim was alive! Not that it looked like she cared all that much. In fact, she looked angry.

"So I see you're awake." Dib said in a level voice, being calm would be the best course of action. Considering how unreasonable Zim could be, especially when angry.

"What did you do Dib-spinach?" Zim spat. How dare he touch her pak with his… Dibness. Dib blinked spinach? Did she just call him a vegetable? He shook it off.

"I think I just saved your life."

"Your brain lies! Touching Zim's Pak is the opposite of saving me. That's Zim! Right there on that tray! You're going to kill me!" Zim screamed her anger morphed into tears. Not now, not in front of the Dib. But it was too late, she had shown weakness, which made her burst into uncontrolled sobs.

"I'm not going to kill you." Dib soothed.

"You're lying, you spinner of lies. You're going to destroy me for science." Zim's cried in hysterics.

"I would never-"

"Of course you would. Ever since I landed on this ball of dirt you've tried to kill me and spill my goo for other Earth creatures!"

"I never said that." Dib stated to the bawling alien.

"You-" Dib put a finger to Zim's lips.

"I never said I wanted to hurt you or destroy you. All I ever said was that I wanted to capture you." Dib said, he continued before Zim could argue, "I've studied your Pak enough to know it's more of a parasite with benefits than a necessity. Especially when it's malfunctioning or broken, now would you please stay here for a while? You gave yourself quite a beating and you're not yet well enough to leave." Dib stood up and went to go down stairs. "Do you want anything to eat Zim?" Zim shook her head; this was all a little too much. Dib had said a lot, on top of rescuing her and having that call with the tallest. This day couldn't be any more confusing.

"We meet again Zahara Zim." Said a familiar voice.


	12. Revenge Will Be Sweet

Zim turned to the sound of the voice to see Aia in her traditional dress. Who happened to be the same girl from the school.

"Why are you here? Who are you?" Zim murmured.

"I am Aia, Dib's third breed unit." Aia answered trying to calm herself. Zim stared wide eyed. Third breed units were old robots used in ancient times. They were a pain to make and had no loyalty to the empire, only the family they served. For those reasons, not many were made. Zahara then, must have been a title to show respect and status, like princess or duchess. "My master tells the truth. As hard as it is to understand," Aia said solemnly then drastically changed moods, "You were so angry and then you got all teary eyed and your pak didn't like it." Aia began to spin then stopped, "Sorry, my parts are old and I think I might have a computer virus." She coughed, "Your pak is a machine, and machines are logic based things. When your pak was taken off the first time you were exposed to a bunch of things at once the water based atmosphere, gravity, and emotions among other things. You cannot undo it, since then your body has been adapting. You're taller, growing a tolerance to the food and water, not to mention you were still experiencing emotion. Gradually, but you still did."

"Why was my Pak acting against my will if you're so smart?" Zim asked defiantly to the now hopping android.

"Your bug wings don't like emotion," said the bouncing robot, "it tried to escape from your warm squishiness, amongst other fluffy filled stuffs. The more you had the more it tried to run away. If it wasn't for Dib you would have been dead as peanut brittle." Aia gave a gentle smile, "Now that it's off, I hope you feel better."

Zim stared at a loss, she was still angry. Oh so very angry. All of her efforts had been wasted; the tallest didn't give her a real chance to prove herself. They called her defective, and tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Her mission was a fake and now she didn't know what to do. She stood up on her shaky limbs; she had to go back to the base. Who knows what trouble Gir was getting into? Even the great mini moose couldn't stop Gir once he really wanted to do something. "I have to go." Zim said, as she stumbled toward the window, "Someone's waiting for me," Aia tried to argue, but it seemed Zim was set on the idea, "I shouldn't even be here in the first place."

When Dib came upstairs Zim had already left. "Aia where's Zim?" he looked down at the small android.

"She said her goodbyes then climbed down the tree like a monkey!" Then the robot's features stiffened, "She didn't say where she was going either, just that she shouldn't be here."

"That idiot!" Dib fumed, "Do you realize how much trouble she could get into? Of all the stupid- I should kill her for this! What if she-" Dib paused, "I'm going to go see if she'd all right."

Zim on the other hand was almost homw when she saw Gir hugging her Squee on the side walk next to mini moose. Zim rushed to where Gir was.

"Gir unhand Zim's Squee!" Gir looked up at the disheveled Irken.

"Shh… you'll scare her. She already is shivering from da 'xplosion." Zim frowned.

"What explosion Gir?" Zim asked irritated.

"Da firey one." Gir said happily.

"Squeak." Mini moose offered in an urgent tone, Zim's eyes widened.

"No." She whispered, and then ran the last block to where her base was, or at least where it should have been. In the alley there was charred bits of metal and wood, the whole ground was turned, evidence it had self destructed. Lab equipment was lying broken and burnt in the rubble. The only salvageable thing from the wreckage was the voot runner. This was the last straw. Being exiled she could handle, even being loathed by an entire empire she could handle to some degree. But this? She had admitted her faults, pretty much agreed to stop calling, and relinquished her invader status, but was that enough? No, they went and blew up her house too. Well they weren't going to get away with it, not without a fight. That was for certain. A plan for revenge was all ready forming in her mind. "Gir! Mini moose! It's time to go home!" Zim ordered.

"But home blewed up." Gir said rather plainly.

"No Gir, I mean Irk. It's time we paid them a little visit."

"Yay! We're going to Grandma's house!" Gir squealed, Zim took a deep sigh. This was going to be a long trip. There would be plenty of time to prefect her most ingenious plan ever. The plan was easier said than done. All she had to do was sneak into Irk's atmosphere, get to the planet's suface, find the machine that made the pak, and destroy it undetected. Simple right? Zim neared Irk finally after 8.500 verses of the song that doesn't end. Without her pak on sneaking in would be a little easier. Especially since most of Irk hadn't seen her in years. Once again in her modified uniform, she went to the transporter.

"Gir I'm going now," Zim said, the robot began to cry, "I know you'll miss me but-"

"I wanna go! I wanna GOOOOOOOO! You needs me!" Gir whined.

"No I really don't."

"PLEASE!" Gir begged inches from Zim's face.

"O.K. alright," Zim sighed, Gir bounced on his head happily, "Mini moose, watch the voot. We'll be back soon."

"Shh…" Gir whispered, "We gots to be sneaky!" Zim continued on to the transporter.

"Come on Gir," Zim said, the sir unit joined it's master on the machine.

"We're going down the hole!" Gir cheered.

"Ya, we are."

"We're going down!"

"Yes." Zim sighed.

"We're going… down!"

"Yep." Zim groaned as she stepped on the planet's surface for the first time in years. "Let's go." Zim said quietly.

"O.K!" Gir said, his maser was busy now. She probably didn't want to hear about the message Dib left her right now.


	13. Fallen Star

Zim slipped into the manufacturing district with little difficulty despite the fact she had Gir with her. It amazed her how empty the place was considering what was inside. The machines churned and clicked assembling PAKs at a lighting speed. Zim quietly walked along the bridge that worker drones would use to fix the machines. It was all a matter of carefully hacking and choosing the right part.

"This is the one Gir," Zim pointed to a silver cylinder that flashed many different colors. "This machine programs the Paks. Get rid of this and all these paks are just hunks of metal." "Then we go home." Gir said. Zim started working on hacking the system, sorting through the bunches of wires.

"No, then we steal extra supplies." Zim said. Eventually she gave up and started pulling out random wires. "Why do you want to go back to Earth so bad anyway? No one's waiting for us." Zim stated blandly.

"Big head is." Gir said playing with a mini squee doll. "He's waiting for you on that magical hill. Wants you to come so he can ask you something." Zim froze, it had been days since they last saw Earth.

"Gir when did he want to meet?"

"Uhh… sunset two weeks after you checked the house. He said to pass the message." Zim yanked a wrong wire causing the alarm to go off.

"Gir! That's five days from now! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Did he say what he wanted to ask me?"

"Well you didn't ask, so I figured that you didn't want to stay with him in a giant cheese." Zim shook her head at the last part of the sentence, standing slowly.

"I guess we better leave then."

"Not on my watch." Said an Irken guard. "You are in a restricted area, be advised to come with me." Zim turned to run. "Get back here you criminal!" Zim ran straight into a guard.

"We've got you now!" Said the other guard as his fist connected with Zim's jaw, the punch sent Zim flying back. She sprung off her hands and kicked both guards in the jaw. She went to give one guard an upper cut punch, but he caught her fist mid execution. He replied with a firm blow to the chest. Mean while the other guard round house kicked Zim at the base of the neck, which caused her to crumple in to the floor in pain. The guards stomped her lower back into the ground then kicked her in the side causing her to roll over. A metal pipe slammed into her stomach, she screamed in anguish as she felt something rip in her squeedily spooch.

Gir had watched the whole thing in a state of confusion; people did this a lot on T.V. Only when they were done they would apologize or one would start sleeping. When his master screamed however hr switched into duty mode. He shot lasers from his shoulders and picked up his wounded master flying her away from the planet to the voot.

"Squeak!" Mini moose exclaimed as it watched Gir drag Zim into the voot.

"Master needs band-aids for her tummy, lots of them."

"Squeak." Mini moose frowned. Zim had gone unconscious. Gir and Mini moose dragged the Irken to the voot's medical bay while he ship moved away from Irk. Zim opened her eyes to find an old abandoned house surrounding her. Stomach still hurting majorly, she tried to sit up to look at the dusty home.

"Squeak!" Mini moose scolded.

"What do you mean rest while I get medical attention! Zim is fine! Where are we? We need to get back to Earth!" Zim retorted.

"Squeak!" Mini moose insisted.

"I don't care if I'm bleeding internally! Just because a bunch of meat brains through a few good punches, doesn't mean it's going to stop me. Now answer Zim, where are we."

"Squeak." Mini moose sighed.

"WHAT! Why didn't you tell me sooner. He's probably already waiting for me! Zim must leave."

"Squeak?"

"I'll explain later." Zim stood with a grimace and ran out the door.

"Squeak!" Mini moose called. Zim was in no condition to be up at all right now, let alone run.

Then again Zim never listened to reason. It was half an hour after Zim was supposed to meet Dib, for all she knew he could have left by now. She ran to the hill that was their meeting place, her body was painfully weak from her previous fight. At the top stood Dib looking at the city with a sorrowful gaze.

"Dib-thing!" Zim cried. Dib turned to see Zim at the bottom of the hill. He had seen the wreckage at her base after giving Gir the message and thought that Zim was in the base at the time. He had come to the hill to try to sort out his own thoughts.

"Zim!" Dib called, running down, "Where have you been? I was worried sick!" Zim tried to run to Dib, but her steps felt heavy and the physical pain too much to bear. She managed to get within arm's reach.

"Dib… I'm sorry." She collapsed in his arms, Irken blood graced her lips. She was glad that she had at least made it that far.

End

**AN There is still and Epilogue to come. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated. I don't own Invader Zim.**


	14. Epilogue

A few months later two kids sat behind a black iron fence watching a house that had been recently fixed up. They looked at it intently like it was a three headed toad.

"I'm telling you Emery, they say a ghost lives in there. It has pupil-less eyes and sharp bloody teeth."

"That's stupid Ryuki. Ghosts don't live, they haunt and why would it have such a gross appearance?" asked Emery.

"They say she doesn't like people, never did and she'll hurt anybody who comes near the house that she died in. She does that because some crazy guy murdered her."

"You're an idiot and a liar!" Emery accused, "I'll go throw a rock at the house, because there's no ghost!" Emery stood up and walked on the lawn, ready to through a large rock at the window when the door swung open. Inside stood a pale girl with long curly black hair and a gossamer gown. She might have been pretty, were it not for her claw like nails and dark bags that accented her unnaturally red eyes.

"I suggest you drop the rock and leave." The young woman hissed.

"And what if I don't?" Emery challenged.

"I'll bleed on you." The lady stated as teal blood started gushing from her mouth.

"GHOST!" the two young boys screamed and ran away, the girl chuckled.

"Pathetic humans." She mutter in amusement wiping off the metallic blood.

"Zim!" A man called from inside, "Stop torturing the neighbor's kids and come inside."

"I'm coming Dib!" Zim shouted, "I have to have fun every once and while you know!"


	15. Deleted Scenes

Zim sat down next to Dib at lunch again. This was so weird; it would take some getting used to. Dib looked up. Oh right he had to be friends with his enemy now. Well wasn't this fantastic. They stared at each other in an awkward silence. How would this work out? They looked at each other some more, what would they talk about?

"Star Trek makes this look a lot easier than it is." Dib muttered.

"What was that about hiking boots?" Zim asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Boots, you?"

"I was talking about Star Trek." When Zim didn't seem to understand Dib continued. "It's a science fiction show." Zim closed her eyes and sighed.

"Dib-thing, your geek is showing. Cover it up when we're in public." Zim said then stood up and walked away.

Zim stormed into the classroom panting. She was late and stormed towards Dib's desk.

"Dib-stupid! Why didn't you give me a ride!" Zim yelled. Dib glanced up lazily; he knew this was going to happen.

"You said you didn't need one Zim, why are you mad?" Dib spat.

"Cause you didn't give me a ride!" Zim shouted.

"Well you said you didn't need a ride!" Dib bantered.

"I never said-" Zim's defense was cut off by Dib pushing a button on his phone that played Zim's voice saying she didn't need a ride that day. "Why do you have that?" Zim asked.

"In case I needed to defend myself. I even have one of you saying that I was right." Dib grinned as he put away his phone, Zim's face fell.

"You little Ganush!" Zim glared.

**AN: These are the 'scenes' that I came up with in my head, but didn't really flow with the rest of the story. I still like them though and hope you will to. I do not own Invader Zim.**


End file.
